Sony Computer Entertainment leader Ken Kutaragi revealed Thursday afternoon his company’s plans to hold a “PlayStation Conference” in Japan in February of 2006. Kutaragi stated that this conference was to be held on the “eve” of the PlayStation 3 launch.
Which suggests, of course, that the PS3 is closing in on a March launch in Japan, just like the PlayStation 2 before it.
Following yesterday’s news that the ESRB slapped a new “AO” rating on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), which represents a significant number of game retailers, issued an official statement:
“The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) notified us late this afternoon Eastern Time that they have revoked the “Mature” rating previously issued for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, following an extensive investigation. Our members intend to immediately cease all sales of the game until existing inventory can either be re-stickered with an AO (Adults Only) rating, or exchanged for new versions of the game that has the hidden content removed and the original M (Mature 17+) rating intact. Though not a policy, IEMA members generally do not carry AO-rated games any differently than we do not carry X-rated videos or DVDs, thus it is likely that our members will be removing all copies of the current version and re-stocking with the updated version.”
Publisher Take-Two Interactive announced yesterday that it has ceased manufacturing the current version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and will provide “AO” stickers to retailers who wish to continue selling the game. The company said it is developing a new version of San Andreas which is not vulnerable to the “hot coffee” modification.
Since its introduction on the 8-bit and 16-bit gaming platforms, Street Fighter has been one of the most popular arcade 2D fighters. You cannot go into any decent arcade and not find a Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or old Street Fighter arcade game. For the most part, when you go to an arcade, if there isn’t a bunch of people gathered around the DDR Machine, they are around the Street Fighter machine or something similar to it. A few years ago… A development team got toghether to bring back what is probably the greatest 2D fighter of all time and they came up with Street Fighter Online.
Unfortunately, since this game is free and non-profit… It shut down for a while… However, popularity and demand brought this game back on October 31, 2003 in which it generated over 75,000 hits and close to 1000 gigabytes of traffic in just its first 6 days of operation. To the point, this game is very fun to bring back memories of the old Sega Genesis (in my case) days of Street Fighter. It has the specials that you would see in games such as the Marvel Vs. Capcom series – my favorite being Akuma’s Raging Demons – and Capcom Vs. SNK.
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The recent drama, titillation, and controversy surrounding the “hot coffee” modification for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has reached a sudden climax: the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the game’s rating to “AO,” or Adults Only. Rockstar has ceased manufacturing of the current version of San Andreas, until the company can offer a version not affected by the mod. The company is also issuing a patch to prevent “hot coffee” access in the PC version.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ new rating is the conclusion of an investigation by the ESRB of a sexually explicit mini-game made available by a widely-available third-party modification. The so-called “hot coffee” mini-game quickly aroused controversy among politicians and community groups, with most maintaining the game should have received an “AO” rating instead of its original “M,” or Mature, classification.
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Though Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as shipped, allows players to act out all manner of gruesomely violent and illegal activities, it seems the only content causing outrage now is a sexually explicit mini-game.
Using the user-created “hot coffee” modification, some gamers have discovered a way to either unlock or add a copulation mini-game in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Politicians and media groups are already outraged, and the ESRB is investigating the matter. Now, former First Lady and current Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has joined the chorus of concern, calling for a Federal Trade Commission investigation of the “hot coffee” content.
According to an Associated Press story, Clinton is asking the FTC to not only determine how users enable the “graphic pornographic and violent content,” but also to investigate whether Rockstar’s game should be rated “Adults Only” rather than “Mature” by the ESRB.
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The chaos over the so-called “hot coffee” modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas continues, with a media watchdog group now issuing a warning to parents about the game — and developer Rockstar finally commenting on the allegedly unlockable pornographic content.
The National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF) issued a warning to parents this week, concerned that the “hot coffee” mod was already being mentioned on “popular teen websites.” The organization, following a similar statement from California Assemblyman Leland Yee last week, claims that the ESRB failed to rate San Andreas appropriately.
“It should be clear to everyone by now that video games do influence young people,” said NIMF founder Dr. David Walsh. “While San Andreas is already full of violent behavior and sexual themes, the pornographic sex scenes push it over the edge. The ratings board has launched an investigation to determine if it was mislead into issuing a ‘Mature’ rating instead of the ‘Adults Only’ rating. There may even be legal ramifications since most states have laws restricting the sale of sexually explicit material to those eighteen and older.”
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